Seth: I’m always a fan of finding new places to try Indian food. This is the cuisine we wanted this week and I’ve had this place on my list for some time. On a gorgeous early spring day, Ren and I took my motorcycle out to Allston to check it out. The space is nice when you walk in. Not too big, it had a warm, clean feel to it. Not overly polished but nice at the same time. I was impressed my the beer list right off and liked what I saw in terms of pricing. Ren and I both started with a nice beer and ordered the vegetable samosas to start. I probably would have ordered meat ones if they had them but these were delicious. They brought out that traditional crispy bread with the three dipping sauces before them, but one of the sauces accompanied the flaky crust of the samosa nicely. For entrées with both got Marsala, which is a creamy tomato curry sauce. Ren with the goat and myself with the lamb. I really enjoy lamb and I’ve too often had it over cooked or dried out. Not here! It was delicious and tender and perfectly cooked. I asked before hand what level of spicy they cooked with. Most Indian places tame down the level of spice for the uninitiated american palate but, once again, not here. I ordered medium spicy and it was perfect. A full-bodied level of spicy that didn’t take over the flavor but had me sweating just a little by the time I was finishing my meal. We ordered two servings of garlic naan as we are both big fans. We didn’t quite finish it all but it was so good I’m glad we ordered the extra. Big pieces of crushed garlic baked into the bread. So good! The service was great throughout and we kept one eye on the TV showing some hilarious Bollywood music videos. We closed out the meal with the rice dessert kheer and were on our way with some leftovers and very satisfied. My favorite thing: The exquisitely cooked lamb marsala.

Ren: Strange weather patterns bring early warmth and an excursion to Punjab Palace on the recently storage freed motorcycle. A quiet little eatery welcomed us with smells of curry, the sounds of non stop Bollywood productions, and decent display of alcoholic proportions. From the display I chose a quite reasonably priced Chimay blue and we started out with a plate of samosa’s: a dish we tend to favor as a precursor to our meal whenever it is on a menu. Being a little wary on the state of juiciness of the lamb, due to previously dry experiences, I ordered the goat masala paired with an order of garlic naan. The flavors and creaminess of this dish literally blew me away. It is one of the better masala dishes I have ever ordered. The naan stuffed with whole cloves of garlic was a perfect way to scoop the delicious masala. My dinning companion ordered the lamb masala and I’ll have to say the lamb was cooked perfectly and literally melted in my mouth. The waiter seemed to be surprised by my interest in both the chimay and goat: an interesting reaction. His attentiveness and desire to please was a treat compared to our last Indian experience. We ended the meal with one of my favorite desserts ever: the delicious kheer. My favorite thing: everything! But I guess I have to pick one so I’ll go with the creamy masala.

Food: Seth 8.5 Ren 8.5 Food Average: 8.5 *Certified Dericious* This was really good Indian food. Everything we had, was well cooked and solid

Seth: As you all know, I love beer. And in a place a bit like the Publick House, this one has a great selection. There’s also quite a few classic and newer cocktails and a great little menu. The three appetizers were all delicious. From the truffle oil Gorgonzola fries (which is just one of the 4 varieties they have) to the delicious(!) root beer braised pork belly and the crispy, well cooked Calamari. Also, that apple-fennel slaw that came with the pork belly was bright and delicious. For the entrees, three of us we too excited about the lamb to not order a few other things. It ended up, we probably should have. The lamb was cooked well, but the sauce used was either not executed properly or it needs some change. I wanted it to be better but it just wasn’t quite there. On top of that the mustard greens were not good. I did get a bite of the french onion soup, which was really good. Also, I snuck a piece of the chicken schnitzel, which was really nicely done with great flavor. We closed out the dinner with a caramel egg nog cream dish that was a good finish. I like this place. I think the drink selection alone is enough to come back for. A great place for a drink and a snack. Especially once that back deck opens back up this spring. My favorite thing: Of course the pork belly!

Ren: This weeks dining escapades brought us back to Deep Ellum; a restaurant that was high on our must return to list because of an extraordinary dish we had there ( a confit pork belly on a bed of corn grits). To our dismay it was no longer on the menu; however we enjoyed our previous experience enough to add it to our blogging adventures. I’ll have to say right off the bat I will only return when the patio is open again. While being a cozy atmosphere I think I much preferred to sit on there patio where it is a little less cramped. My first drink, The Hornets Nest, I wasn’t particularly pleased with as it mostly tasted like watered wiskey with a touch of bitters. I don’t like to return drinks ever as I feel once you have ordered it, it’s your; however I really wanted to enjoy this dining experience and I was fortunate that the manager was more attentive than our server and allowed me to order a new drink, The Black Market, which was a much better executed drink. I would have liked to see the server ask me if I like the new drink, but the question was never asked. The appetizers that followed were probably my favorite part of the meal: fried calamari, root beer braised pork belly on a parsnip and fennel salad, and gorgonzola truffle fries. The pork belly is prepared excellently; juicy and tender with a crispy top makes for a dish that is simply to die for and my reason for ever returning to Deep Ellum (as well as there truffle fries). I split the french onion soup and coffee braised lamb shank for dinner. Both were delicious but could have been better. The soup needed more cheese and the lamb dish just wasn’t quite tender enough and didn’t taste enough like coffee; not to mention the mustard greens on the plate were too salty and over cooked. It was a decent enough experience but I as I said I probably won’t come back until there patio is open again. My favorite thing: The pork belly!

Ave Price/Person: $15-30 w/ Drinks: $25-45

Food: Seth 7.5 Ren 7 Food Ave: 7.25 Very good appetizers, a little disappointed with the Lamb Shank and the mustard greens.

Service: Seth 7.5 Ren 7 Good service. Made a few recommendations

Decor/Atmosphere: Seth 8 Ren 7.5 Nice little bar. A lot of dark wood. The lighting was fairly dim. Though not open now for the winter, there is an awesome little know back deck that is perfect on a summer day.

Total: 7.416 Great beer list, good cocktails and some good food options.

One bad thing: The mustard greens were just bad. Overcooked and not properly cleaned